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California State Parks

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USA Parks
California
Northern California Region
Hendy Woods State Park
Valley Quail © stateparks.com
Valley Quail
Picnic Table © stateparks.com
It is always a great day for a picnic in the park.
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HENDY WOODS STATE PARK
HENDY WOODS STATE PARK
P.O. Box 440
Mendocino, California   95460

Phone: 707-895-3141
Reservations: 707-937-5804
The park features two virgin redwood groves; Big Hendy with a self-guided discovery trail and Little Hendy. The Navarro River runs the length of the park.

Located in the middle of the Anderson Valley wine district, this park is warmer and less foggy than redwood parks along the coast. The park is well known for a fallen redwood stump that was home for a man known locally as the Hendy Woods Hermit.

Facilities - Activities

The 25 picnicking sites are located near the banks of the Navarro River in full view of Big Hendy Grove. There is no need to bring either wood, charcoal or presto-logs as wood is available at the ranger station, but the visitor is asked not to gather wood within the park as this downed material is needed to provide humus for the surrounding vegetation.

Two miles of nature trails guide the visitor through both Big and Little Hendy Groves. While hiking these please stay on the trail so that the forest floor will maintain its beauty untrammeled for generations to come.

Fishing has not been allowed in the park for several decades. Fishing is permitted in the Navarro River watershed down river from the bridge at the park entrance.

In the summer, swimming is popular as is kayaking and canoeing in late winter and early spring.

The park also features exhibits, Junior Ranger nature walks, and campfire programs.

Seasons/Climate/Recommended clothing

The weather can be changeable; layered clothing is recommended.

History of the Area
The two groves of redwood and the park which was constructed around them bear the name of Joshua P. Hendy who, in the late 1800's, first claimed this beautiful area as his own.

He found something within the peace and quiet of these moss encrusted groves that made him vow that neither saw nor ax would ever lay bare the inner bark of these giants, and true to his word he was, for as long as the land was his the trees were never harmed.

California was growing and the need for lumber was great. After Joshua P. Hendy died the groves were sold. Down came the giant trees in the outlying areas and off to the mills they were hauled. Timber was cut and removed from all sides of the big groves, but never was an order given to attack the giants standing there.

Hendy Woods was sold to the people of California in August of 1958, to become one of our finest state parks.
FACILITIES AND ACTIVITIES OVERVIEW
Day-UseHiking Trailyes
Camping
- Wildcat Campground: Offers 92 drive-in and walk-to sites with picnic tables, fire rings, food lockers.
- Day-use Area: Provides picnicking facilities but no overnight camping.
- Group Camping Sites: Available for larger groups by reservation only.
- Big Hendy Grove Trailhead Campsite: A hike-and-bike campsite located near the trailhead of a popular hiking route in the park.



Trails
- Big Hendy Grove Loop: A 1.8-mile trail, mostly flat with a few gentle slopes; features old-growth redwoods and fern-covered forest floor.

- Hermit Hut Trail: Half-a-mile long hike leading to the hermit's hut site of famed local eccentric Billy Bowl.

- Upper Loop Trail: Connects from the Discovery loop for an additional mile through more secluded areas of big trees in upper grove area.

- Lower Loop Trail: An easy half-mile stroll along fallen logs and under towering ancient redwood giants within lower part of park's main grove.

- Redwood Nature Trails - North & South Loops : Two short trails (0.4 miles each) that offer views into both younger second growth forests as well as mature stands.

-DiscoveyTrail/Redwood EdVenture Quest Hike : This is a fun one-miler designed especially for kids, featuring interpretive signs about plants, animals and ecology throughout its length

-Big Tree Area Accessible Pathway : Paved path suitable even for wheelchairs or strollers extending around quarter mile amidst some largest specimens in park

-Fern Gully Creek Crossing via Seasonal Bridge - Only available during summer months when creek levels are low enough to safely cross on footbridge installed by rangers

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Area Accommodations (over 20 miles away)
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Backyard Garden Oasis BB - Middletown, CA
BBs / Inns
Close to Calistoga, Napa Valley and Lake County Vineyards, and Harbin Hot Springs in the Mayacama Mountains, and 2 hrs away from San Francisco or Sacramento. Backyard Garden Oasis is an exquisite respite for those wanting a nature-filled retreat surrounded by some of Californias most beautiful country.
48.3 miles from park*
Nearby Hotels
Booking.com

Directions
The park is eight miles northwest of Boonville, a half-mile south of Highway 128 on Philo-Greenwood Road.

The park is located on one of the scenic by-ways, the Greenwood Road, in southwestern Mendocino County just off State Highway 128.

Although it is less than a three hour drive from the San Francisco Bay Area it is as though in another world.

One passes from the hustle and bustle of a modern metropolitan center into a majestically silent primeval forest of Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirons).

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California
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California State Parks

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